Due to an increase in demand, the funding and supply of vaccinations for
certain countries has fallen short. The Children’s Vaccine Initiative
(CVI) was launched in 1990, and a new Task Force was set up to address the
shortage in supply. There are three supply strategies that vary in
effectiveness depending on country: vaccine procurement, production sharing,
and production. To analyze the global supply systems, 130 countries were
plotted according to population size and wealth. If lower-income countries
procure vaccines, medium sized countries procure or share in production, and
large countries procure or produce their own vaccines, then the lower-income
countries will receive the assistance they need. Fourteen countries were
determined for “priority action” and will be visited by a team of
experts who will formulate a vaccine supply plan. The UNICEF Vaccine
Independence Initiative is offered to all countries, and other revolving fund
programs have been implemented to help developing countries obtain vaccines.
Estimating future demand is another aspect of solving the supply shortage. The
Task Force is also working with countries to evaluate levels and causes of
vaccine wastage, which is a problem when trying to forecast demand.